Age Is Only A NUmber
by DavyJoneslover
Summary: When a new agent arrives at NCIS, everyone's lives will be affected, Especially a certain Medical Examiner. Just playing with the title right now, i am open for suggestions. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1: Sparks

Tony DiNozzo looked up as the elevator dinged. Director Sheppard had told them they would be getting a new recruit but he had no idea she would look this good. She wore a simple t-shirt and jeans that did nothing to hide her curves. Her emerald green eyes were framed by a few strands of her long red hair that lay in a braid down her back. She seemed a little lost so he took this opportunity to make himself known. "Hi, Tony DiNozzo. You must be the newbie. Let me show you around." "Vixey, and you can stop flirting you're not my type," she coldly said. She was used to guys like him everywhere she went. "Um, OK I guess I'I'll take you to see Director Sheppard." "Yeah, you do that."

As they walked into the Director's office Tony could see Gibbs was already there. "I see you've met our newest agent DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he offered her a seat. "Yeah, a real pleasure. Can I go?" As the Director waved him away, he stole one more glance at the woman who had shot him down before he got into the air. He couldn't wait to tell the others about her.

The Director and Agent Gibbs were explaining to her that as of now they seem to be embarrassed. didn't have a specific position for her as of yet and she would be helping out where she was needed and did she have a problem with working in the morgue sometimes. She had told them that with her father being a mortician it didn't't bother her one bit. They discussed a few other odds and ends before Gibbs taking her around to meet everyone.

As they walked out into the main room, they could see Tony talking up a storm. "I'm telling you guys this one's a real bitch." "Just because she saw through your little flirting ritual and turned you down before you could start does not make her a bitch, it makes her a good judge of character," Ziva was saying. Gibbs smiled and thumped Tony on the back of the head. "That's no way to talk about someone who might be covering your ass one day." Vixey smiled, she liked it here already. "And trust me DiNozzo, you haven't seen my bitch side yet," she sniped.

She met Jimmy in the morgue and was told that Ducky had gone to see Abby. She knew an Abby, but didn't think she was that lucky. As they made their way down to the lab, her heart stopped. In the lab talking with someone who was very familiar was an older man with light brownish hair and chocolate brown eyes. She had always fallen for the older men, it was one of her weakness. And as they entered the lab, she found out he had another one of her favorite qualities. He spoke with a British accent. "Abby?" The dark haired woman looked as though someone had jumped out and said Boo. "Vixey? I cant believe it," she squealed as the two woman embraced. When the squealing had subsided, Gibbs had introduced the older man to her as Ducky. She shook hands and as soon as their skin touched she felt a spark. One look in his eyes told her he had felt it too.

He had felt something when their hands had touched but he figured she wouldn't want an old man like him. As he watched the two women reminisce he found himself regretting that he wasn't a few decades younger. Lost in his musings,he didn't hear Gibbs say that since .Jimmy was about to leave for his classes that Vixey could go ahead and start working with him now. He sighed mentally and headed for the morgue, Vixey trailing behind him. He figured that she was walking so slowly so she could get familiar with it, but in reality she was watching him walk. As they walked, he was telling her one of his stories and was waiting for her to interrupt him like everyone else did. But as he turned around, he found that not only was she listening, she seemed to be enjoying it. He also noticed she was staring at his ass when he turned around. She knew he had caught her and didn't seem to be embarrassed.

Vixey wasn't embarrassed, not one little bit. She wanted him to catch her. She knew what he was probably thinking and she wanted him to know she liked him. "Why did you stop? I wanna know what happens." Ducky smiled and continued. If she wanted to stare at him, who was he to stop her.

As they walked into the morgue, Vixey could see a body on one of the tables. Ducky briefed her on his injuries. He had bruises on 90 percent of his body and most of his bones were broken. He had been in a car accident but the bullet wound in the middle of his forehead was cause of death. "Oh you poor man, who did this to you," Vixey whispered as she surveyed the damage. Then remembering she wasn't alone, she looked at Ducky to see him smiling. "Sorry, I tend to do that sometimes. They might be dead but they're still human beings." "It's alright, I do it myself for the same reason." As they began the autopsy, Ducky kept watching her for signs of nausea. "You let me know if we need to stop," he warned. "Don't worry about me, this is just like the old days working with Dad, He's semi-retired since his heart attack but he still has some old friends that he made promises to. He still works for the people he knows. We used to get a lot of out of towners back in the day but my brother's taking them these days. I help when I go home." "Must be nice to go home and fall back into place." Vixey smiled at this. "Yeah, whoever said you can't go home again was wrong. I love going home. Of course when Mom starts that whole when are you going to get married and give me more grandkids speech it's another story." "You have children?" "Matthew is 16 and Lilly is 8, but she's a mature 8. She helps out when I go to see my parents. She's very fascinated with what her Pop Pop does," "That's rather early to be finding out about death." "That's what Mom said too but Lilly's known about death since she was 4. She had a cat that someone gave her when she turned 4 and it got outside and got in the road. I explained the best i could and what she didn't understand she asked Dad about. She's a very inquisitive little girl and very mature for her age." Ducky said nothing at this and Vixey hoped she hadn't offended him. As they continued with the autopsy, Vixey couldn't help but stare at Ducky a bit. She could see that he did have a bit of muscle on him, probably from lifting bodies over the years. His light brown hair showed a sprinkling of grey hair here and there but that didn't bother her. As a matter of fact, it added to his charm. Ducky was doing his own observations. He could see she had a few tattoos but compared to Abby, nothing outstanding. Then as she moved, her shirt shifted. He caught a glimpse of something on her back. It appeared to be the Marine symbol surrounded by a dragon. As he was trying to get a better glimpse, she turned around and caught him staring. "You were looking at my dragon weren't you?" "I do apologize for staring but yes. What does it mean?" "My brother's a Marine. He's been in for about 14 years and in a lot of cultures dragons represent good fortune, protection, strength and this is my symbolic way to wish him and all the other marines out there safety, good fortune and strength. I don't support war by any means but i support the men and women who fight in them." "I agree with you there, most wars are pointless. How about the rest of your family?" "Well, my father served during Vietnam and my grandfather was at the Beaches of Normandy. My other brother served in desert storm and got a purple heart. One of his men was shot and he was carrying him to safety when he got shot in the butt." They both chuckled over that then her face took on a somber look. "My Oldest brother was killed when the twin towers went down. He was one of the first firefighters on the scene. He was trying to evacuate after the crash when one of the walls fell on top of him. They pulled him out but he was already dead. The coroner said something in the wall pierced his spinal cord and he most likely died instantly. That at least gave me some comfort, but not much. I'm one of those people who have a personal vendetta with Bin Laden." "I belive you would have to stand in line." Vixey smiled at that before adding, "but not for long. I have a long history of line cutting."

Ducky found that as they continued with the autopsy, she had a keen eye for details, most likely from working with her father. But in a way she reminded him of himself. She also was full of stories no one wanted to hear, well besides himself. He found himself telling her about his mother, and how taxing it was to care for her. He had never told anyone that, not even Gibbs. He loved his mother but looking after her and her band of Corgi took a lot out of him.


	2. Chapter 2: Cars

The day was over too quickly in Ducky's opinion. After taking samples of a substance found on the victim's body to Abby, they had discovered that he worked with toxic waste and had narrowed the suspects down to 3 men. Two had air tight alibis while the third claimed to have been at a bar most of the night. After viewing the security tapes however, it was shown that the man left for some time. Time enough, Gibbs thought, to murder the victim. After 15 minutes alone in a room with Gibbs, the suspect broke down and told everything. As Ducky locked up for the night, he caught a glimpse of Vixey heading for the elevator. She caught sight of him and slowed down. "Going my way," She said as he caught up to her. "If you're heading down to the garage then the answer is yes." Vixey smiled as the doors closed. "Not a bad days work if I do say so myself. Gibbs is good." "Yes, he always has had a way with people." The elevator stopped too quickly in both of their opinions. As Ducky reached his car Vixey's eyes went wide. "I wondered who owned that. I can't believe you have a 1935 Morgan Roadster!" "I take it you like it?" "Like It! The first car I ever drove was A Morgan. Boy did that baby growl!" "Yes, they are rather loud but I do love it. What do you drive?" "Well i have a Black 1946 Plymouth Hemi Coupe at home that needs a fuel pump so for now I'm driving a 1989 Harley Davidson Sportster." She pointed to the vehicle a few spaces away and Ducky raised his eyebrow, "It's magnificent but tell me, who are you getting to fix your Plymouth. The mechanics around here leave much to be desired." "I do my own repairs, I don't trust mechanics, not even the ones i know. But fixing cars is kind of a hobby of mine, especially the older ones." "Yes, well unfortunately the clutch is going bad and I cant find anyone who has the part much less who can do the work. I restored it when Mother was in better health. Now, I wouldn't have the time to do it." "I think I might be able to help you with both. I know a guy who claims that he can get any part for any car. So far, he's held up on his claim. As for the work, well I could do it." "I couldn't ask you," he started to say before she cut him off. "You didn't, I offered and I don't mind. The Morgan I drove was my grandfather's. When he died, my uncle sold it without asking the rest of the family if we wanted it. I was pissed. I miss working on it." "Alright, if you're sure I wouldn't be putting you out?" Vixey smiled at him, an action that warmed him as well as made him feel things he hadn't felt in a while. But he pushed them aside. She didn't want an old man like him. He watched as she admired his car for a few moments before pulling out her phone. "I'd better call Marty before he leaves the shop. Once he does, it's a pain to get him to answer his phone. Don't get me wrong, he's reliable," she said as she dialed the number, "I honestly think he does it to hide from his wife." Ducky chuckled and before he could say anything else her tone changed. "Hey Marty, how's the hunt coming for my fuel pump? Great, well I got another challenge for you. A clutch for a 1935 Morgan Roadster. No I am not kidding. Ok I'll hold." He's going to look," Vixey told Ducky "He might have a deal for you, who knows with him." "What do you mean a deal?" "Well sometimes with older cars he finds whole ones in a junkyard and he sells them to someone looking for parts. He said he thought he found one the other day but the frame was bad. If that's the case you might be able to get it for spare parts just in case." "That sounds like a golden opportunity. It's hard to find parts for a car like mine." "Yeah Marty I'm still here, Great so what's the bottom price? Yeah I suppose I could do that. I mean I love holding that over you but it's worth it. Ok so when can I look for it? Yeah just drop it off at the house. Dakota should be there. Ok great thanks again. How's the old ball and chain these days? Yeah I got ya. Ok well talk to you later." As she hung up the phone she had the cat that ate the canary look. "Well Dr. Mallard you're very lucky to have me as a friend. Not only are you getting your clutch as well as almost a whole car, you are getting it absolutely free." "How is that possible?" "Let's just say I have pictures of Marty in a few situations that he wishes would never come to the light of day. You're also getting the parts tomorrow. He's making a delivery in this area tomorrow and he's gonna drop it off at my place. I have a garage behind my house and plenty of storage." "That would be wonderful. When can fix it?" "Anytime I'm not working. It shouldn't take me long once I have the part." "Wonderful. I will bring it by tomorrow evening. Mother's nurse asked for more hours and I was going to say no but she was very insistent and she does have two children." Vixey smiled at this. "Just a big old softie huh? Well maybe not old." "I'm older then you think," Ducky said as he returned the smile. "Well I suppose I should get home. I'd hate to hold you up." "You're not. I'm going home to an empty house, well if you don't count the animals, and Dakota." "Forgive me for prying but Dakota is your?" "Roommate as well as ranch hand and good friend. I have another roommate named Remy and we're very close. But it's not what you think. He's how can I put this? Ok his door swings the opposite way." "Oh, he prefers company of the male gender. Nothing wrong with that." "No, but you'd be surprised how many people don't take to them as kindly and as easily as you do. I've known him about as long as I've known Abby and the three of us are like peas in a pod. I'll have to bring my photo album in tomorrow." "I would like that. Well Good night Vixey and thank you." "Good night Dr Mallard." "Please call me Ducky." "Good night Ducky." She watched as he started up his car, relishing the noise it made, before he exited the parking garage and drove out of her sight.

AS Vixey made her way down the street, she noticed the Morgan on the side of of the road and Ducky under the hood. She pulled over behind him. "What happened?" Ducky turned to look at her with surprise. "The clutch locked. It will shift from first into neutral and that's it.

Drat!" "Sounds like it's only a matter of time before it locks completely. I wouldn't trust it to drive home." "Me either. Oh bother, Mother has a Doctor's appointment in the morning." "Well, we can have it towed to my garage and you can borrow my truck. It's not much, just a little 1986 Chevy Silverado I use to haul stuff. But it's reliable and it's got plenty of room. Not to mention it's lower to the ground then a normal one." "I couldn't put you out like that. Suppose you need it?" "I don't plan on getting any supplies for a few more days yet and if something comes up Dakota's got his truck. I won't take no for an answer." "Oh alright. I do need something to drive Mother in the morning." Vixey's eyes suddenly lit up and Ducky looked to see what she was looking at. A roll top tow truck was pulling in behind them. The sign on the side said 'Moonlight Towing.' A young man with long sandy blonde hair got out with a huge grin on his face. "I thought that was you, Vix. Need a tow?" "Hey Chris, yeah the clutch in my friend's car locked up in first. Think you can carefully take it to my place? Oh this is Ducky by the way, Ducky this is Chris." A pleasure. Now you will take great pains to be careful I hope?" "Oh yes sir, any friend of Vixey's gets the kid gloves treatment. Ducky watched with great pains as his precious Morgan was loaded carefully on the back of the truck. "You lead the way Vix," Chris said after everything was was unsure whether he would ride with the tow truck or with Vixey. He didn't know if she would want him to ride with her. It was decided for him when Vixey handed him a black waited til she was seated then climbed on behind her. He was unsure where to put his hands. There didn't seem to be anything to hang on to other then the woman in front of him.

Vixey could feel the mental debate going on behind her and had a pretty good idea what it was about. She reached around behind her, grabbed his hands and pulled them around her waist. "It that comfortable for you?" He wanted to say something other then, 'yes quite comfortable' but his gentleman side wouldn't let him. He noticed that Vixey didn't put on a helmet and wondered if she only had the one. "You should take the helmet, you're younger." "I don't wear them, ever. I know they're supposed to be safe but so are seat belts and people die because of the, I was in an accident years ago and i was wearing my helmet but on impact the visor shattered. One of the shards came within a half an inch of my left eye and another one missed my jugular by 2 inches. A friend of mine was killed in a crash when his helmet side-swiped a tree. If he hadn't been wearing his helmet he would have missed it. No Sir, you'll never get me to wear one." "What about your children, do they wear theirs?" "They don't ride with me. Lilly likes to have walls around her and Matthew has an old Trans Am. They're not like me in that way." "I see. I think your friend is ready." Nothing more was said after Vixey started the motor and took off. While ,they were riding, Ducky took the opportunity to lean against Vixey. He noticed that she smelled like the shampoo he used on his mother's Corgi.


	3. Chapter 3: Home

It didn't take long to get to Vixey's house. She lived outside of town but just barely. The first thing he noticed was the security cameras. The second was the horses. A pack of dogs greeted them as they went through the gates before stopping in front of an old two story farmhouse. He could see the garage and storage shed she had mentioned behind a large red barn. He steadied himself as she stopped the bike and hopped off before she did so he could help her off. He followed her as she pushed the bike into the garage and showed Chris where to the put the Morgan. Chris wouldn't take any form of payment and just said that it was one less he owed Vixey. After he left, Ducky followed Vixey into the house to get the keys.

"You certainly have a lot of security around here."

"Well, when you have an ex-husband like mine, you get a little paranoid." Ducky saw a sad look cross her face as she said this.

"Was he really that bad?" Vixey saw the concerned look in his eyes and knew she could trust him.

"He's one of those classic abusers stuck in the 50's when it was OK to smack your wife around when she didn't do what you wanted her to do. Add rape as well as torture and you've basically got my ex."

Nothing more was said on this as they entered the house. Ducky could hear a male voice singing a Celine Dion song. Vixey smiled and pointed at the kitchen before tip toeing in. Ducky could see an young man at the stove stirring something in a large pot. He looked to be about Vixey's age or younger. His long black hair was pulled back in a small ponytail and his slender frame was wrapped in a pair of too tight jeans and a black t-shirt. 'This must be Remy,' Ducky thought.

"Hi honey I'm home,"Vixey said just as the man was tasting whatever was cooking.

"Oh my goodness, you scared me! And who is this," he said; raising an eyebrow at Ducky.

"This is Ducky, we work together. Ducky, I'd like you to meet Remy."

"A pleasure to meet you, what is that delightful odor?"

"That would be my infamous spaghetti sauce with ground venison and fresh veggies. It's my night to cook and we have so much venison in the freezer and fresh produce from the garden, i figured might as well use it. Can you stay for supper? It's almost ready."

"I would love to, but I really should get back home to Mother. I'm sure her nurse is ready to go home. I'll take a raincheck though." Vixey's smile faltered a bit before plucking a set of keys off of a hook.

"Alright then, I suppose we should head to the garage then. Ducky's borrowing the Chevy while I fix the clutch on his car."

"Well, it was nice to meet you Ducky, I hope you will come back and stay for supper next time."

"I will make arrangements with the nurse to stay a little longer one night this week, does that suit?"

Vixey smiled, "Suits me just fine. Maybe that night will fall on my night to cook and you wont have to suffer through one of Remy's dishes."

"Oh please, I could cook circles around you. I beat your ass two years in a row in the fire man's charity cook-off in New York."

"That's because you were sleeping with four of the judges."

"Liar. It was only three."

Ducky watched them argue for a moment before he realized they were teasing each other. As he followed Vixey into the garage, he had a thought.  
"Who's the hunter?"

"Oh, Neither one of us hunt, i detest it actually. Remy hit a deer the other night coming home from work and we both love venison and as they say, waste not, want not."

"Ah, how very practical. I love a good Venison steak myself now and then and it's so much better for you then beef."

"Yeah, Remy keeps complaining about his spare tire. I just want to smack him sometimes. He's worse then some women I know."

Ducky chuckled before climbing into the cab of the truck. He noticed that for a work truck, it was kept very clean.

"Well, I thank you for the loan and for fixing my car. Perhaps I could persuade Mother's nurse to stay a little longer tomorrow and we can all dine together when I come to get my car."

"You were reading my mind, I was about to suggest that."

"Well, I shall see you tomorrow then at headquarters."

"I look forward to it, I think Abby was going to talk to Gibbs about me helping her a bit when Autopsy isn't busy. We used to work together years ago and I'm one of the few people she can stand helping her."

"Yes, Abby is a bit picky on who works with her. I'm suprised she let's Timothy work in her lab. Well, as much as I would love to sit here and talk, I know Mother's nurse didn't mean this many more hours. I'll let you know as soon as I know about tomorrow night."

"Alright, drive carefully, there's a lot of deer out this time of year, not to mention other animals. The truck should keep you safe if something does happen, I had a Hummer sideswipe me a few years back. I had a small dent but the Hummer lost a bumper."

"I'll be careful, I have a pristine record. No Accident, tickets or otherwise. Good night Vixey."

Vixey was shocked when he leaned over and kissed her hand.

"Good night Ducky."

As she stood on the porch watching him drive away, Remy came up behind her and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Someone's got a crush," he sing-songed.

"Oh hush. I didn't say one word when you were mooning over that mechanic last year."

"Ooh, don't remind me about him. He was hot! Now let's go inside and you can tell me all about Ducky over supper."


	4. Chapter 4: Chaos

Morning came too soon for many of the NCIS agents. Tony, as usual, was late. As he exited the elevator, earning a head slap from Gibbs and a smart remark from Ziva, he noticed he wasn't the only one late. Vixey's desk was empty. It was a smaller desk usually reserved for an assistant but since it was unoccupied and they didn't know where Vixey was going to be yet, Gibbs had assigned it to her. It was devoid of anything that suggested someone had used it recently.

"So I take it the newbie is MIA this morning?"

"Not anymore," Ziva said motioning to the elevator.

Vixey said nothing as she passed by. She dropped her bag on the desk and headed towards Autopsy.

"What's with her?"

"I do not know Tony, it looks as though she had a rough night," Ziva said.

"Eyes puffy and red, dark circles, nose red; either she has one hell of a hangover or she's been crying."

Ducky and Abby were discussing the latest case when they heard the doors to autopsy open. They looked up and saw Vixey's state.

"What's wrong?" Abby said as she ran to embrace her friend.

"Apollo died last night. I knew it was coming because of his age, but he was fine yesterday morning when I left. I checked on him before supper and he looked OK, he was in his normal basking spot. Then when i got ready for bed I checked on him again and his breathing was labored and shallow. I took him to Dr. Reynolds and she said that because he was so old, there wasn't much she could do that wouldn't make him worse. She suggested that we put him down. Remy had to drive home, I could barely walk strait "

" Aw, you should have called me." Abby said as she hugged Vixey tighter. "Apollo was Vixey's Iguana. She's had him for 25 years, " she told Ducky.

"Oh,it gets better, or worse,whichever. After we got back and buried him, Dakota called me and told me that Cosmo was in labor. That was so not fun, for me or her After 6 hours of her pushing and me pulling, she finally gave birth to a healthy filly. After I got a shower, my sister calls me and tells me she might be pregnant. The world is so not ready for Trixie 'I should have a revolving door on my bedroom door' Maru to reproduce."

Abby bent over in laughter as Ducky chuckled softly. "That isn't very nice to say about your sister"

"She thinks it's funny as hell. I made the mistake of telling her when she was drinking, it really is possible to make someone laugh so hard that milk comes out of their nose."

It was at that moment her cell emitted a noise that sounded like the noise that was made when an adult talked on the Charlie Brown cartoons. "Oh great, as if my day couldn't get any worse."

"What on earth was that," Ducky asked as Vixey went to another part of the room to answer.

"It's her mom. She's a sweet lady but every time she calls its always the same old when are you going to get married stuff again."

As Vixey's tone escalated from annoyance to that of terror, they watched helplessly as she suddenly dropped to the floor. She landed on her knees before sliding to her rear, her cell clattering to the floor. They could still hear Vixey's mother on the other end. Ducky knelt down to help Vixey while Abby scooped up the phone.

"Mrs. M? Hi it's Abby, Vixey's gonna have to call you back. Ok I will. It was good talking to you too. Bye."

As she hung up the phone, Ducky was just getting Vixey on her feet.

"There now, what happened?"

"That was my mom, but you know that. On top of everything that's happened today, my brother Kyle was in a plane on the way home. He was almost over the border when it was shot down. They've found some bodies but there's no way to identify them without DNA testing. Mom pulled a few strings and for some unknown reason is getting the bodies flown here."

"I suppose she wants us to do the autopsies. I can't believe she would actually do that to you!"

"She's very protective of us kids and her grandkids. I suppose she wants to make sure they're done right. I don't really mind, Ducky. "I've seen my brother naked before, just not burned up."

"Aw Vix, I'm so sorry for you," Abby said as she once again grabbed Vixey in a bone crushing hug.

"With all the daring bone-headed moves he's told us about over the years and he goes down on his way home." Vixey sighed and held her hands in her head. Ducky said nothing as he laid his hand on her shoulder.

"We will do the Autopsy as best as we can," he finally said.

"Mom said they still have their dog tags around their necks but even still that's no guarantee of identity. From the way she was talking its as if she thinks the bodies might have been tampered with."

"I suppose we'll find out when they get here."

It was at that moment Gibbs walked in.

"I just heard about your brother, I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

"Tell me, why would your mother insist on bringing the bodies here for you to autopsy. The Director's not happy."

"My mother tends to push her weight around with a lot of people, her kids included. She has hunches sometimes about things and from the way she sounded, she doesn't think this is war related."

"So she thinks he was murdered? How could someone guarantee that he would be on that particular plane? It's a war zone out there, anyone on any side could have shot them down."

"Tell that to my mother. When she has an idea in her head, no one can convince her of anything otherwise. I'm surprised she didn't insist on coming to help."

"I want you to go home and take some time to yourself." When she started to protest, he held up his hand. "That's an order. They probably won't be here til tomorrow morning anyway. Go home and get some rest." Vixey barely even registered the sound of the door opening and closing as he left.

"Did you ever talk to your mother's nurse," she finally said.

"She would be glad to stay the extra time but if you're not up to it?"

"No, I'll be fine and it will be good to have someone else to talk to other then Remy. God, he's gonna be a mess. He and my brother were close."

Abby gave her once more hug before telling them she still had things to go over in the lab. Vixey could see the tears in her eyes as well.

"I see Abby was close as well?"

"Yeah, we all were very close when we were kids. Abby used to have a crush on my brother and they did date for a few weeks but in the end they both decided it was weird for them to date. They both compared it to dating a family member. I guess I'd better go before Gibbs jumps on me. So I'll see you later then?"

"Alright, say 6?"

"That's great, that will give me time to pick up the house a bit and maybe catch some sleep before I start working on your car. By the way, how's the truck driving?"

"Like a dream. I hope you don't mind but I took a peek under the hood. That engine is almost brand new, is it not?"

"Yeah, I put it in about 2 months ago I think. The old one decided one day to fall out. I had to replace everything. Good thing I wasn't driving it when it did that."

"Yes, but isn't that a bit odd for an engine to just fall out?"

"Yeah, the support brackets were cut, not all the way through but just enough so that when someone hit a bump or something it would break. I had it on the lift changing the oil and the lift kind of shuddered on the way up. I had turned around to get my pan when it just fell out."

"Your ex-husband I presume?"

"I had my suspicions but as usual he left little evidence."

It was then th Gibbs poked his head in the door. "Didn't I tell you to go home?"

"Heading out now. See you later Ducky, Gibbs."

As she headed to the elevator, she was greeted by Mcgee, Ziva and Tony.

"We're sorry about your brother and I know we got off on the wrong foot. I just wanted to say I'm sorry and no hard feelings?" Tony said as he offered his hand for her to shake. He seemed relieved when she took it.

"Thanks Tony, apology accepted. Life is too short to hold grudges. I'm going home for a while if anyone needs me."

As she headed into the elevator, she could feel someone watching her. She turned around and saw the director standing on the stairs. Vixey gave her a sad smile as the Director nodded at her. Then the elevator doors closed and Vixey finally gave in to her emotions and sank to the elevator floor.

It was a quarter to six as Ducky turned into Vixey's driveway. Remy met him on the porch along with a large iguana on his shoulder.

"Hey Doc, how's it going?"

"Much better for me then Vixey. How is she?"

"Well, she's handling it the way she always handles something like this. She buries herself in work so she doesn't have to think about it. When she got home, she threw supper in the crock pot, cleaned every animal cage, did all the laundry, vacuumed every carpet and rug in the house, changed all the sheets on the beds, dusted every single thing in the house, then headed out to the garage. Dakota said he could hear her throwing things around and cursing. I checked on her about an hour ago and she had just finished changing the oil in all the vehicles. She's gonna burn out at this rate."

"I take it she and her brother were close?"

"As close as two siblings can get. Kyle and Vixey were twins. When she gave birth, he mysteriously had abdominal pains in the same area. One time, Kyle cut his arm and for some strange reason Vixey's started bleeding in the same spot. They always knew when the other one was upset or happy. I remember one time Vixey was acting weird all night and the next morning she called Kyle and asked him if he had gotten laid the night before."

"I see. Who's your friend," Ducky asked eyeing the iguana.

"Oh this is Poe, named after one of Vixey's favorite authors."

"Ah, one of my favorites as well. I suppose I should go let her know I'm here."

"Hope you can pull her out of her little rut," Remy said as he turned and headed into the house.

As Ducky made his way into the garage, he could hear her banging around just like Remy had said she was. He could see his Morgan off to the side, shinning just as if it had just come out of the showroom. The garage was cleaner as well. The junk he had seen the day before had been stored in different bins in the back corner. The floor had been swept and fresh litter had been put down. All the cars as well as the motorcycle had been washed and polished. Even the walls looked like they had been washed. Vixey was currently under the hood of a yellow Mustang.

"My goodness, someone's been busy."

She jerked at the sound of his voice and bumped her head on the hood. She swore and rubbed her head as she carefully extracted herself from under the hood. "Holy sh-," she stopped in mid sentence as she saw who it was.

"I'm dreadfully sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"That's OK, I've pretty much been on autopilot since I got home. A marching band could have gone by and I probably wouldn't have noticed it. The Clutch is all fixed in your car. I also changed the oil, rotated the tires and washed and waxed it."

"My goodness, you didn't have to go through all that."

"It was no trouble at all. Kept me occupied. Abby's already called me at least 4 times since I left. I've been off and on the phone with all of my family members and Mom just told me that not only do I have to speak at the funeral, my brother wanted me to play 'Amazing Grace' on the bagpipes."

"You play?"

"Yeah, my grandfather on my mother's side is Scottish. All of us kids would spend many a summer with them. They live right on the bank of Loch Ness. Thought I saw Nessie once or twice. But Kyle and I were the only ones that wanted to learn how to play. Kyle was better at it then I was, but he could never get 'Amazing Grace' down-pat like I could." Her voice trailed off and Ducky could see her eyes shimmering with un-fallen tears.

"It's alright to cry you know," he quietly said,.

"That's not the first time I've heard that today but it's the first time that I didn't feel quite so vulnerable about it. She slammed the hood of the Mustang and wiped the grease off of her hands. "I guess we should go back inside before Remy decides to add something to the stew."

Ducky's mind was in a turmoil. He wanted to help her but he didn't know how. At least she was comfortable with him. As they walked into the house, they caught Remy with the lid off of the crock pot.

"I wasn't going to put anything in it, I swear! I was just smelling it."

Uh huh," Vixey said rolling her eyes. "Did the pepper shaker want a sniff too," she asked pointing at the object Remy was trying to hide behind his back.

"It sure did, It told me so."

"Whatever. Well the only thing that's left is to put the rolls in the oven."

"Did it," Remy said.

"And the salad?"

"Yup, tossed and double tossed. Of course, it's not like I did anything to it. Just put everything in the bowl minus the dressing."

Vixey made a disgusted sound and smacked him on the butt with a wooden spoon. "Ass."

"Ooh, where?"

Vixey hid her face in her hand. "You're impossible."

"Is that another word for fabulous?"

Vixey growled at him and made a choking motion in his direction.

"No thanks, Auto-erotic asphyxiation isn't my thing."

"Oh that's it," Vixey growled as she knocked him to the ground,

Ducky was about to step in when he realized Vixey was tickling Remy.

"Ok," Remy said between gasps, "I give! Uncle, Aunt Brother, the whole damn family just stop!"

Vixey was laughing as she helped him up. "You started it."

"And I'll start it a million times more just to get you to smile like that."

"You two had me for a moment," Ducky chuckled.

"Remy and I have always had this kind of relationship. We've never really had a real fight."

"Unless you count the one we have over Andrew," Remy pointed out as he took the salad to the table.

"Ugh, don't remind me. Andrew was Bi," she explained.

Ducky nodded to show he understood. "Please continue."

"Well, he started out helping me re-shingle the roof," Vixey started.

"And ended up dating both of us without the other knowing. Oh it was almost the end of the friendship. Well, maybe not that bad."

"Oh please, you packed your stuff and put all my clothes back in my closet. I thought Hell had frozen over."

"Oh yeah. Well, now we check with each other before we start dating someone. It's a pain but it's safer then loosing my only family."

"What about your parents, if you don't mind me asking?"

Remy said nothing and as he headed into the kitchen. "We don't talk about them much," Vixey finally said. "They threw him out when he told them he was gay. They haven't spoken for 8 years. His mom has been trying to talk to him but he refuses. I don't blame him. I talk to her when she does call the house, I think something is wrong but she won't tell me."

"I'm almost tempted to talk to her sometimes," Remy quietly said as he came out of the kitchen. "Dad, I could care less about. He's the one who threw me out. Mom didn't help but she didn't try to stop me either."

"Perhaps it is time you forgive her, or at least try to work things out. You only get one mother," Ducky quietly said as he laid a hand on Remy's shoulder.

"You know, Christmas is coming. We could invite them over for dinner, or just her if you don't want to see your dad," Vixey said as she took the rolls out of the oven.

"Or we could do it before then. I don't want to put it off while I still have my nerves. Would you call her? I'm afraid if I do it, I'll hang up before she answers."

"Sure," Vixey smiled as she dialed the number. Remy could tell by the face she made that his Father had answered. "Hello Albert, is Harriet there? Ok thanks." Vixey made a gagging motion as she waited. "Harriet? Hi it's Vixey. I've got someone who wants to talk to you." As she handed Remy the phone she whispered ,"Good Luck" as he headed into his room. "I hope things work out for him."

"You care for him very much, I can tell. There is more to your relationship, am I right?"

"Well obviously nothing romantic but yes. There's more to us then what you see. We've been there for each other during the roughest times. We've seen each other at our lowest point and we know each other's dirtiest secrets. There are no secrets between us, not that I could keep anything from him. He knows me almost better then I do."

As she trailed off, a look of sadness came over her and Ducky debated on whether it would be proper to take her in his arms and comfort her. _Propriety be damned_, Ducky thought as he gathered her in his arms.

Vixey wanted to push him away and lock out the world. When she had stopped thinking about Remy for those few seconds she was reminded of the day's events. She felt like she was sinking into the darkness when Ducky took her in his arms. Her mind was telling her to push him away, that she didn't want to be comforted. Her heart said otherwise and for once, she listened to it and let him hold her.

It was some time later when Remy came back. He noticed the rolls had been put on the counter to cool but nothing else had been disturbed. He could see Ducky sitting on the couch but there was no sign of Vixey. As he got closer however, he could see Vixey leaning against him. They were watching the news and Remy could tell Vixey had been crying. He has also shed his fare share of tears as he reconnected with his mom.

"So, who's ready to eat?"

They both jumped as if they had been up to something. "Geeze, why don't you sneak up on me next time," Vixey said as she extracted herself from Ducky's arms. Remy was about to say something smart but decided against it. "My mother was delighted to hear from me and she apologized a zillion times. She said she will definitely come for Christmas and even sooner if it suits."

"What about your dad?"

"Vix, I think even he's starting to come around a bit. She put him on the phone for a few minutes. We talked but it was kinda forced on both of our parts. I think she made him talk. But he wasn't rude."

"Well that's a first," Vixey scoffed. So who wants what to drink? I have water, tea, beer, soda and I think I have some juice."

"Tea for me," Remy said, "you made it right?"

"Duh. Ducky?"

"Tea is fine for me as well. Let me give you a hand."


	5. Chapter 5 Hope

After dinner, Ducky entertained them with some of his weirdest autopsies. Remy watched Vixey hang on his every word and add a few of her own. It would have gone on all night if his mother's sitter hadn't of called him. He looked sheepish as he hung up the phone. "I didn't realize how late it had gotten. Mother's nurse is ready to go home."

"It's ok. Do you want some stew to take home? It heats up wonderfully in the microwave and with just the two of us we'll never eat it all."

"I wouldn't want to impose but if you insist. Mother does love venison as well."

Vixey smiled as she filled a large tupperwear container with stew. "It's no problem, like i said It would probably end up going to the dogs or in the trash. I'll walk you out."

"Remy it was a pleasure to see you again and I'm glad things are working out with you and your parents."

"Thanks Ducky," 'Remy said as he shook Ducky's outstretched hand, "I hope we will see more of you."

"Indeed, that is of course if Vixey wants me around."

Vixey knew he was joking, she could see it in his eyes. "Oh gee, why not," she said as she smiled back.

As they walked out to the garage in silence, each had so many things on their mind but both were unsure where to begin. Finally Ducky broke the silence.

"Did you mean what you said about age not bothering you?"

"I don't say things I don't mean unless I'm, undercover or something like that. I like you Ducky, more then a friend I think."

"As I do you. I would like to see more of you outside of work."

Vixey smiled. "I would like that too."

"I have a confession to make. I am torn between wanting to kiss you and not wanting to take advantage of your grief. " I wonder if," he started as she cut him off by pressing her lips against his. Ducky was glad he had already put the stew in car as he found himself wrapping his arms around Vixey and drawing her closer.

As Vixey lost herself in one of the most passionate kisses she'd ever received, she found herself running her fingers through his hair. She had been waiting to kiss him ever since she first laid eyes on him and even though it had only been a few days, she felt she was falling for him. When they finally came up for air neither one said anything at first. Vixey was the first to break the silence.

"Where did you learn to kiss like that? I think my toes curled up and got stuck."

Ducky softly chuckled as he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You will find I am full of surprises My Dear."

"I can't wait to find out," she said dreamily. "Oh crap did I just say that out loud?"

Ducky chuckled at this. "As much as I would love to stay here all night, I should be getting back. I will see you tomorrow, though I'm not looking forward to what it brings."

"Ditto, Watch for deer, they run like mad this time of night and if you don't mind please call and let me know you got home safely. I'll be up awhile."

"I don't mind at all, it's nice to have someone look after me."

"For a change," she finished. A puzzled look crossed his face. "It was what you were thinking right," she explained.

"I'm a bit ashamed to admit it but yes. I'm very lucky to have found a nurse who is willing to stay as long as she does. It means I get to have a bit of a life."

"There's no shame in admitting you need help. I had an aunt with Dementia. I know how hard it is. And eventually you may have to find alternative living conditions for her. There's only so much you can do alone."

"I know there will be a day where I will have to place her in a retirement home. It comes closer with each day that passes. Part of me doesn't want it but the other part of me knows its best. I think if I found the right home...," he trailed off.

"It was hard for my Uncle when he did it but it was killing him. He had a heart attack due to stress"

Vixey said nothing else as she put her arm around him. "As much as I'd love to keep my arm around you all night, I suppose I should let you go. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"One that I know you are not looking forward to. Anyway, drive safe."

"I will, and I will call you when I get home."

With one more quick kiss, he climbed into his car, waved good bye, backed out of the garage and drove off into the night. Vixey sighed to herself at the memory of their kiss and headed back into the house, feeling as though she was walking on air.

After answering Remy's questions and getting Ducky's call, she cleaned up the kitchen and got ready for bed. The last thing she thought of as she drifted off to sleep was the kiss.

Ducky looked up to the sound of the doors opening and smiled as he saw who walked in.

"You were right, there we're a lot of deer."

Vixey smiled but it quickly disappeared as she saw the body bags on the tables. "So that's them?"

Ducky gave her a sad smile and nodded. "I haven't opened them yet, I was waiting on you and Abby. Jethro has already been here and he's not happy."

"Geeze is that man ever happy?" When Ducky didn't say anything she rolled her eyes. "Good morning Gibbs."

"Morning Vixey, and yes." He followed that with the traditional Gibbs' head slap but she thought he held back a bit. "Abby's on her way."

As if on cue, Abby entered with 2 CafPows, one of which she gave to Vixey. "I remembered you liked these."

Vixey smiled and took a sip. "Woo! More of a kick then I remembered. I'm wide awake now. Shall we get started?"

"Indeed," Ducky said as he un-zipped the first bag.

As the body was revealed, they could see that it was burned but not beyond recognition. Vixey knew who he was just by looking at his face. "That's Sgt. Richards. He's the biggest flirt I've ever met. Had a girl in every port from what I understand." The next bag's contents were simular in that the face was intact but the body was severely burnt. Vixey identified him as Lt. Anderson. The rest of then bags were simular in that the face was not touched but the body was severely burnt. They were all the same until they came to the last one. This one was so burnt that they would need DNA evidence to find out who it was. The dog tag had her brother's name on it but something didn't seem right to Vixey. "Is it me or is something off about the bodies?"

"I was just about to say the same thing," Gibbs quietly said as he surveyed the bodies. "Why is it that all the others are burned everywhere but their face, and your brother's is the only one who looks like this? Are you thinking what I'm thinking."

Vixey looked angry. "I'm thinking the crash was staged. It would be very easy to pay off one of the locals to shoot down the plane but then why go to all that trouble to burn the bodies that way? And why was my brother turned into a crispy critter?" That's what Gibbs wanted to know too, they could see it in his eyes.

"I'm gonna go have a talk with the survivors. I'll let you know when they get here."

After collecting DNA samples from all of the bodies and sending them off with Abby, Ducky headed to his small stash of scotch he kept for occasions like this. Vixey quickly downed the offered shot. "Thanks. I may need another later."

"You don't want to overdo it," Ducky cautioned.

"I'm part Irish as well. It takes a lot more then a shot of scotch to even get me partially tipsy. Now if it was Tequila that would be another story. Ever had a Spider Bite?"

"Is that a drink?"

"Red Bull and Tarantula Tequila. After 5 of those, talk about drunk? Whew, you'd have to pick me up with a shovel. But Scotch doesn't do much for me. Well It does make me a little testy but im so far past testy you wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

Ducky chuckled, "I did notice a bit of a change." It warmed his heart when she smiled. "Hopefully Abigail will find something useful."

"She usually does. She's been the champion at scavenger hunts as long as I can remember." As if on cue, the Abby's voice came from the video phone.

"Hey you two stop playing kissy face for a minute, I got something."

Vixey thought it took forever to get to the lab. Gibbs was already there. Abby was at her computer looking at a chart on the screen. "Ok this is really freaky. All the bodies had the normal chemicals you would expect to find at a crash site, except for your brother. He has a high count of sulphuric acid. According to the cargo log, there wasn't any on board. So someone had to have brought it with them. Which means," Abby started.

"Which means that this was no accident," Vixey finished.

"Yeah and there's more. The blood Ducky sent me, was really funny. It was like it had been frozen and then thawed but it's definitely his. I'm sorry"

"That doesn't mean it's him in Autopsy though," Vixey said angrily. "There's one sure fire way I know to identify him. Come on Ducky, let's get to that autopsy."

Ducky tried to keep up with her. "What's going on?"

"I know every broken bone and every illness he's had. Some weren't on his medical records. Abby was telling me about all the cases you guys have had. This one reminds me of the one where they blew up the ambulance to hide the fact that the bodies were switched so they wouldn't know the deceased had given his friend a kidney. Sound familiar?"

"Yes it does, but it's a long shot. And why would they switch bodies?" "I don't know maybe my brother's still alive."

Ducky watched her face as she said this. There was so much hope in her eyes but it was rimmed with a bit of despair. "I know it's a long shot Ducky but why else would they switch the bodies?" He had no answer to this as they prepared the body for autopsy. The traditional Y was cut as they began. As the rib cage was revealed, Vixey went over each one. There were spots on many that were old breaks that healed wrong.

"Ok there's our first bit of evidence. He broke two ribs in college football. The coach treated him and he never went to the doctor."

"There are two ribs here that have been broken," Ducky pointed out.

"Yeah but they're on the wrong side and in the wrong location."

"Not to mention they are recent, perhaps in the past few weeks."

Vixey sighed in relief. "Kyle's wife Rachel will be here soon, we can confirm things with her just to make sure." As Vixey said Rachel's name she made a face.

"I take it you don't like your sister in law?"

"That's an understatement. We've had our differences since they were dating. She got pregnant on purpose to get him to marry her. He had bought a big box of condoms and she went through and poked holes in all of them. My son caught her."

"Oh my. Did she admit it?"

"Of course not, she accused my son of lying, hence another reason I don't like her. Damn that means I have to be nice to her now."

Ducky smiled at this, humor was a good sign. "What are the other reasons?"

"She tried to keep me out of their wedding and keep me from having contact with their kids. I didn't have a problem with them when they were first dating, she was actually pleasant. I don't know what changed but anyway can we change the subject?"

"Of course. Well I suppose there's nothing more we can do until then let's wrap things up here. Feel like a bite to eat?"

"Yeah, Remy has a date so I'd be eating alone anyway. If you can put up with my moodiness."

Ducky chuckled, "I wouldn't call it that, but I'm sure I can manage."


	6. Chapter 6: Venom

Luigi's was a small establishment that, at first glance, didn't look like much. But the inside told a different story. there was a bar in back, a small dance area and a huge dinning area. The walls were decorated with different scenery from the Italian countryside. They were seated at table for two in the back corner at Ducky's request. "I hope you don't mind, I just thought you might want to get away from everything."

"Get out of my head, I was just thinking I was glad you asked to be put here just for that reason. When I'm upset, for the most part I don't want to be in a crowd."

Ducky chuckled and put his hand on top of hers. "I can't say I blame you. This has been a traumatic experience for you."

"Let's not talk about that any more, I want to know more about you."

"What would you like to know?"

"I guess I'll start with the normal questions. Ever been married?"

"No, I was engaged once but she didn't like my mother."

"Any kids?"

"No, I would like some If it were still possible."

"That was my next question. OK, I guess you like animals since you got along with all of mine and your mother has all those dogs. What kind of music do you like?"

"Mostly classical but I do like rock and roll sometimes. No rap, a little country as long as its not too twangy, and you?"

"Pretty much the same thing. I do like a little rap or R&B, I can listen to most anything. Ok, what kind of movies do you like?"

"I don't really have a favorite, I love the classics. Your turn."

"I love the older movies as well, I love horror movies, comedy, romance, really whatever I'm in the mood for. The classics are great! Casablanca, anything with Greta Garbo, the old horror movies are awesome."

"I'm rather fond of Casablanca myself and the Creature from the Black Lagoon."

"Are you kidding? That's my favorite!"

They talked about movies for a while before the waiter brought their salads. Both of them had gotten blue cheese, yet another thing they had in common. When they had finished their salads, Ducky asked her to dance. They ignored the stares and whispers as they made their way to the dance floor. She was feeling more comfortable with him then she had ever felt with a man. As a slow song played, he held her as close as his gentleman side would allow. The song was "Feels Like Home" by Bonnie Raitt and the words were so true. She was feeling like she was home. She knew the dangers of falling too fast for someone but this was first time she had ever felt this strongly. In fact, she had never felt THIS strongly about anyone. It was like she was drawn to NCIS.

The song ended too quickly in both of their opinions and they made their way back to the table. They continued their likes and dislikes discussion before their food came. Vixey had ordered seafood Alfredo and Ducky had gotten baked Ziti. As they dug into their food, Vixey lost herself in the flavors that assaulted her taste buds. Ducky saw the look on her face and chuckled. "Good isn't it?"

"Good doesn't begin to cover it. Last time I had food this good I was in Italy."

Ducky was about to reply when Vixey's cell rang. "Meru." Vixey rolled her eyes and mouthed 'Gibbs' "Ok Gibbs, we'll be there as soon as we-," she stopped and growled before closing her phone. "He hung up on me. Ooh I hate that."

"Jethro does that a lot, you'll get used to it. I take it the survivors are there?"

"And my sister in law. "I'd rather roll around buck naked on broken glass then be nice to her, It would be a lot less painful. But in light of the situation I'll bite the bullet."

After getting their waiter's attention and getting their food boxed up, they fought over the check. Finally, she let Ducky pay on the grounds that she would treat next time. As they drove back to headquarters, she thought about the nice time she had. It had been a while since she had been on a date and had a good time. A hand on her hers brought her out of her musings. "I had a wonderful time tonight Vixey. It's been a long time since I found someone I could hold an intelligent conversation with."

Vixey smiled at his compliment. "I feel the same way. It's also the first date I've had in a long time that I wanted to think about a second date. Not to mention, the first date I had that I didn't dread."

"Why would you dread going out with someone?"

"Usually my first dates are blind dates. I love my friends, but only a few of them actually know what kind of men I look for and usually by the middle of the date I'm thinking 'dear God what have I gotten myself into'."

"Are they usually that bad?"

"Well other then Remy, who has occasionally set me up with a bad date, I only have one girl friend who knows my taste in men. But her set ups usually end the same way. He does something that either grosses me out or ticks me off. The last guy she set me up with, we ended up getting into a fight about hunting for sport. And you know how I feel about hunting for fun."

"Yes, we've already had that conversation."

Nothing more was said as they pulled into the parking garage and headed for the elevator. As they exited, Gibbs smiled and gave them a look. Vixey rolled her eyes as Ducky caught his look and chuckled. "I do believe we've been ratted on. Remind me to thank Tony."

"How did you know it was Tony?"

"He was the only one who saw us leave."

As they passed Tony, who had a goofy grin on his face she smacked him in the back of the head.

"Hey what was that for?"

"Being a nosey gossiping tattletale. How else would Gibbs have known we were together?"

Gibbs made a motion to follow him and as they walked past him, Tony ducked down. Gibbs smiled and continued walking. "Calm down DiNozzo, I'm not gonna hit ya."

To Vixey's chagrin Gibbs made her talk to Rachel. As they walked into the interrogation room, a woman sat at the table. Upon seeing Vixey, she made a disgruntled noise. "Figures they'd send you in here."

"Look, we've had our differences in the past but in light of the situation I'm willing to put them aside. There's a slight chance, Kyle might not be dead. But we need you to go over his recent injuries."

Rachel's face registered surprise, and something Vixey thought might have been anger. But she kept silent about it. As they led her to Autopsy, Ducky's gaze went back and forth between the two women. Neither one liked nor trusted the other and for some reason, Vixey was even more agitated now. As the doors whooshed open Rachel saw the bodies on the tables. "How many were lost?"

"Fifteen so far, a lot of good men on that plane. I hope whoever did this fries," Vixey said; the venom clear in her voice. She noticed that Rachel flinched at this. Ducky noticed it too and his mind started drifting where Vixey's already was.

As they went over the bodies, Vixey kept her eyes on Rachel for any sign of emotion. Remorse definitely wasn't there. Finally they came down to Kyle. Once they told Rachel who it was she was all over the body sobbing and moaning, Ducky and Vixey could tell it was a put on. After she composed herself, she asked them when she could take him home. They told her they weren't done with their investigation but when they were, they would let her know. She had complained but said nothing else but Vixey could almost see the gears turning in her head. To their dismay, she confirmed all of Kyle's injuries. As she escorted Rachel to the elevator they stopped to talk to Gibbs. He told Rachel how sorry he was and assured her they would find who did this. Vixey tuned them out as she saw the director watching them. She narrowed her eyes at Gibbs and Rachel but stopped and gave a sheepish smile when she saw Vixey had caught her. After Rachel had left, the director called Ducky, Gibbs and Vixey up to her office. "So, what's going on here Jethro?"

"You wanna take that one Agent Maru?"

Vixey felt all eyes on her. "Well Director, between Abby's lab and autopsy we're kinda thinking that this wasn't just a tragedy of war. It looks like my brother was murdered and from the way my sister-in-law was acting, she's behind it."

"That's a serious accusation," The director said. "Can you prove it?"

"Not yet. When I told her Kyle might not be dead you should have seen her face. And Abby found something funny with his blood. Like it had been frozen and then thawed. Unfortunately all the lit. Kyle always told one of the family members if he broken a bone. Not that I needed him too. I felt every one. Hell, he called me one night telling me he had stepped on a nail and I was already bandaging mine up. I think if my brother was dead I would have felt it. I have a theory about the blood. I think Kyle is being held prisoner somewhere. I think whoever is doing it, took some of his blood and froze it. Then they found someone who was the same size as my brother, killed him or had him killed or whatever, drained his blood and then replaced it with my brothers. I think they burned him first then put the blood in."

"It's clever,"Ducky started, "How would they do that without leaving some sort of

evidence?"

"They wouldn't," Gibbs said with a gleam in his eye.

"I'll make some calls and find out if they recovered the plane. Go over the wreckage, top to bottom," the directed said. "Vixey you're going with them." The director's eyes were glittering with excitement as she gave orders.

A few hours and lots of angry Marines later, they had the wreckage in the garage. Abby and Vixey were going over it inside and out. Anything they found was tagged and bagged to analyze later. One of the survivors came later to show them where everyone had been positioned. After Abby had found all the evidence she could, she left for the lab. Vixey had opted to stay behind. They had marked where everyone had been sitting and Ducky found her hours later sitting on the floor, staring at the spot her brother had been.

"Find anything new?" At his voice she jumped.

"Oh, hey Ducky. Not since Abby left. I just keep going over it in my mind. It still doesn't make sense. What did my brother ever do to anyone to make them want to kill him? He never had a cross word to say about anyone. Everyone that knew him loved him."

"Apparently not everyone. Abby's found something."

As Ducky helped her up, he found himself wanting to take her in his arms and just hold her. Before he could make up his mind about anything, he found himself in her embrace. And he was hugging her back.

"I'm sorry," she finally said when she released him. "I just needed to feel someone's arms around me. My brother gave the best hugs and I just realized I may never feel them again."

"Would you have hugged just anyone?"

Her smile warmed his heart, "No, just you. And maybe Abby, but Abby has a tendency to hug too hard sometimes."

As they headed into the lab, Gibbs was already there.

"It's about time you two got here. Ok Abs, tell us what you found."

"OK so we've tested Kyle's blood and what little fabric that was left. Guess what came up," Abby said as her fingers whirled across the keyboard.

"Abby!" Gibbs said, impatience clear in his voice.

Abby sighed and pushed a button. A picture of a snake came up on the monitor. "Wanna tell our veiwers what this is Vixey?"

"A black Mamba. Highly deadly and fast acting. But their only found in Africa. Their venom can kill in 20 minutes but it also depends on lots of factors. Health of the victim, whether they got both fangs in and the amount injected. We need to find out if the venom was directly injected or if he got bit. Since his mission wasn't in Africa we can assume it was injected. I really doubt the killer wanted to take a chance on getting bit."

"So where do you get snake venom," Gibbs asked.

"That I don't know but I think I know someone who does."


	7. Chapter 7: Old friends

Author's note:: OK this is a short update and I'm sorry...but hey it's something...Got lots going on right now between the holidays, job hunting, babysitting and preparing for the birth of my niece at the end of December. So I'm super busy. But I am working on it, I promise. Keep reading and keep sending me feedback. This chapter has reptiles in it and if you have any questions about reptiles or any about the ones mentioned, please ask me. That said, on with the show...

At first glance, Nick's Reptile Farm didn't look like much. The large reptile mural that covered the sides of the building was impressive, but the building itself wasn't. As they walked in, A young man with jet black hair and a numerous amount of tattoos and piercings met them at the door. Draped around his neck was a large snake.

"Hey Vixey, long time no see."

As she leaned up to hug him, the snake decided to crawl across to Vixey. "Hey Nick, don't tell me this is Monty?"

"Yep, he's grown since the last time you saw him. So, Dad said you needed some answers about venom sales?"

"Yeah, where is the old man?"

"Oh he's in the back. We've been having a lot of eggs hatch in the last few weeks."

"That brings back memories. Well I guess we'd better get down to business." She could see that Gibbs was getting impatient.

As they walked past the different rooms, Nick told them what each one was. As they got to the back of the building, Nick explained that this was the baby snake room. An older man slightly resembling Nick was checking each tray of eggs in a large incubator. His face lit up when he saw Vixey. "Long time no see," he said as he threw his arms around her in a bear hug.

"Yeah, I know Nick. Geeze, I'd forgotten how confusing it was to have two Nicks." When Gibbs cleared his throat Vixey figured she'd better get to it. "We'll have to catch up another time."

"Oh yeah, I got ya. I've been going through my contacts and there's only two companies that sell pure Mamba venom. Us and The Reptile Zone. The owner, Tony is a friend of mine. I took the liberty of asking and he hasn't sold any Mamba venom in over a year. We've shipped out a lot lately, even one a few months ago to Nitrodyme Pharmaceuticals. Hey, isn't that where your bitch of a sister in law works?"

"Yeah, it is and I don't believe in coincidences." As she looked over at Gibbs, she could tell by his face that he didn't either. "We need a printout of all the paperwork associated with that batch and the others. Please tell me someone has to sign for it."

"Oh yeah, and show ID too. We write the badge number on our copy, we kinda cover our asses when it comes to venom."

As they headed to the office, they had several sidetracks as Vixey kept running across people she knew. In the office, a young brunette sat at desk answering phones with a large Iguana on her shoulder. When it caught sight of Vixey it hopped on her shoulder. "Hello to you too." The brunette finished her phone call and stood up.

"I bet you don't remember me Aunt Vix."

Vixey tilted her head to one side and squinted. "Well I think I do. Are you Cindy Crawford? No, that's not it, shes not as pretty as you. Hmm I think your name is Angie and you're Nick's youngest daughter." The two laughed as they embraced and the Iguana decided to hop off Vixey's back and head for Tony.

"Um, nice lizard," he stammered as it ran faster before jumping on his leg and climbing up to his shoulder. Vixey could see he was petrified.

"It's ok, she won't bite. She loves people, especially men during mating season," Angela said as she removed the Iguana and put her back on her shoulder.

"Um, mating season?" Tony started looking nervous and asked where the bathroom was as Nick Sr. came back with some files.

"OK, these are all the orders we have sent out in the last 6 months. The pink copy is our copy, the blue copy is the order form." Vixey held up her hand, halting his next sentence.

"I think I remember how it all goes."

"Great, if you need anything else, you know where to find us. And when you get some time, we can catch up."

After saying her hurried good byes, they headed back. Gibbs could tell what was on her mind just by looking at her. "I think if you're sister in law did it, she covered her ass pretty well."

"One day I wanna know how you do that," Vixey muttered.

"No special power, you're thinking the same thing I am. She's definitely hiding something and we're gonna find out what. That I promise you."


	8. Author's note

OK I'm sorry this isn't a story update but I just figured I would let you know what's going on with me. It's really hectic right now with the holidays, me trying to find a job and preparing for the birth of my neice at the end of December/begining of Janury. I haven't forgotton about this story, I promise. I am working on it and I hope to have a new chapter up soon. Sorry the last chapter was so short, I didn't realize it til I looked at it.


	9. Chapter 9 Truth

When Ducky came back from lunch, he was surprised to find Vixey at his desk. "I hope you don't mind," came her tired voice.

"No not at all. I take it you were successful?" As he came up behind her he could see the numerous files stacked beside her. "Never mind."

"I would have stayed at my desk like Gibbs wanted but it's too noisy up there."

"It's quite alright. I was actually thinking of moving you down here anyway." Vixey smiled as his hand briefly brushed her cheek. She leaned into his touch as her mind wandered.

"There's so much you don't know about me," she murmured, "things that could make you run away screaming. My past isn't exactly pure and when I get mad, feelings and people get hurt."

"Everyone has secrets, My Dear, and I have seen you angry." He was surprised when she suddenly jumped up. As she turned around, the sorrow and anger on her face nearly broke his heart.

"What you saw was only me slightly perturbed. You can ask Abby or Remy, when I get seriously pissed, all hell breaks loose and my temper and my actions are hard to control. I've physically and mentally hurt people I love. Abby and Remy forgive me because they know I usually don't mean it. With something like this case, my emotions are going to run so high."

"Are you trying to frighten me away?"

"No, I'm just preparing you just in case it does happen."

"If I can handle Mother's worst tantrum, I think I can handle anything." Without another word, he pulled her in his arms. They were quiet for a few moments before she pulled out of his embrace.

"As much as I'd love to stay in your arms all day, I think I should finish going through these files. Does your mom really throw fits?"

"Oh my, yes. Once she ranted and raved over what kind of detergent was used on the dogs' blankets. It was the same exact thing she'd always used, just in a different package. We argued for over an hour. Finally I dug one of the old bottles out of the trash and dumped the detergent in that, solved the whole problem."

VIxey chuckled and went back to her files. It was a few hours later when she was finally done. "I guess I should go tell Gibbs."

"Tell me, what," came Gibbs voice from the direction of the door.

"I've narrowed the possibility down to three companies. Nitrodyme of course, then there is Phillips laboratory and DIC medicine. DIC shut down last week for repairs. Phillips went bankrupt last month so unless it was ordered before then, thats out."

"I'll have Tony and Ziva check it out. Good work Vixey. I might let you stay down here if you want to," Gibbs smirked.

"Well it's a hell of lot more quieter, and the company is nice," Vixey said; smiling at Ducky. After Gibbs had left, Vixey flopped into a nearby chair. "One of these days I'm gonna figure out how he does that."

As it turned out, Phillips hadn't had any orders in six months, hence the reason they went bankrupt. DIC had a few orders before they shut down but none for Mamba venom. That left Nitrodyme. They had 4 orders for Mamba venom. Gibbs took Ziva and Tony to check things out.

While they were gone, Vixey pulled her brother's body out and stared at it. "We used to get into all kinds of trouble when we were kids. I can't believe he's gone." Her voice trailed off as she fought the tears but when she felt Ducky's hand on her shoulder she couldn't fight them anymore. As he gathered her in his arms, she squashed the thoughts that he might think her weak and just let him comfort her. "What is it about you that I always find myself crying in your arms?" He chuckled and smoothed back a stray strand of hair. "I'm flattered that you trust me that much. Most people think of me as a grandfatherly figure." "I definitely don't think of you that way."

It was an hour later when Gibbs and the team returned. One of the workers had told Gibbs that of the 4 orders, only 3 of them had been shipped out. The fourth had been ordered by one of the staff and was used for testing purposes. But Gibbs didn't buy that for one bit. After a bit of pressuring, the lab technician had cracked. He told them that Vixey's sister was the one who ordered the 4th one and that she had requested it for testing. Then he never saw it again. Gibbs had brought her sister in for questioning and she was pissed. Vixey watched the whole thing from the other side of the glass as Gibbs presented piece after piece of evidence. She hadn't asked for a lawyer and Vixey was glad because as far as she was concerned Rachel didnt have any rights. When Gibbs finally showed her the lab results that said Kyle's blood had been frozen and then thawed, that's when she cracked. "Ok, you got me, Kyle didn't die in the plane crash, he died 2 days earlier. One of the surviving officers killed him, froze him and then set up for the plane to crash. He was going to divorce me and take half of everything. I couldn't have him own half of my company. PLus if he died in battle, I could cash in on his insurance policy and expand my company." Vixey watched with morbid satisfaction as Rachel told Gibbs the rest of the story. How the two survivors had a grudge against every man on the plane and were more then willing to take it out. How she paid them to have one on the ground with a rocket launcher to make it look like enemy fire and how those that did survive the crash were dealt with individually. And since it was a covert operation, no one reported Kyle's death til the crash was found. After Rachel had written and signed her confession, Vixey got the satisfaction of watching her being taken away in handcuffs. She fought the urge to say anything to her, as she knew she might not be able to stop at just talking to her.

After Rachel's accomplices heard she was already in custody and what she had told them, they sang like canaries. Kyle's body was released to the funeral home. As Ducky entered autopsy to close up shop, he found Vixey unpacking a box of stuff at one of the unused desks. "I hope you don't mind, Gibbs gave me the ok to transfer down here. I suppose he should have asked you first. Is this desk occupied?" Ducky chuckled and shook his head. "It is now. And I must say I am rather pleased that you accepted." Vixey smiled as she placed a picture of her brother on her new desk. "I have to tell you that I get along better with animals and corpses then I do with most people. There are exceptions however." As she said the last part, she looked at him. "There are very few people I let see me in a vulnerable state without freaking out about it later. Abby and Remy are 2 of those people. They have seen me at my worst. I guess I can add you to that list now." Ducky smiled at this, "you may add me to any list you please."


	10. Authors note :(

Ok here's the deal...my hard drive crashed...my computer is in the shop and as of now I have no idea if my documents will be able to be recovered. im attempting to write from memory but it is extremely slow going. the only stories i have are the ones i have published but i dont have any of the updates I had already written. Please bear with me, the story will continue, I promise! Thanks for all who are still with me. I love you guys! 3


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